Alexei Volkov
Plastic is ubiquitous in our lives, with over 300 million tons produced annually, and roughly half of that is intended for single-use purposes. Plastic production is a major driver of the oil industry, and the two are intertwined. While not all plastics are made from crude oil, most synthetic plastics are derived from it, and the International Energy Agency expects that plastics will make up almost half of oil demand by the 2050s. This text will explore the role of crude oil in plastic production, the environmental implications, and potential alternatives.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Is crude oil an input for plastic? | Yes, crude oil is an input for plastic. |
| Plastic production as a percentage of global oil production | 4% in 2012, 5-6% in 2019 |
| Plastic production as a percentage of oil production in Europe | 4-6% |
| Countries with the largest crude oil reserves | Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Iran |
| Plastic production in the US | Growing at an annual rate of 1.6% in 2017 |
| Plastic production in China | Growing at an annual rate of 3% in 2017 |
| Plastic production as a percentage of total plastics output for packaging | 35-45% |
| Percentage of plastics that are recycled | Low |
| Feedstock for plastic production | Naphtha, other oils refined from crude oil, hydrocarbon gas liquids |
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What You'll Learn
Plastic production and oil demand are intertwined
Plastic is everywhere, from plastic bags to plastic toys, and it is a significant driver of oil demand. While it is difficult to determine exactly how much oil is used for plastic production, it is clear that the two are closely linked.
Plastic can be made from either synthetic or bio-based sources. Synthetic plastics are derived from crude oil, natural gas, or coal, while bio-based plastics come from renewable sources such as carbohydrates, starch, vegetable fats and oils, and bacteria. The majority of plastic in use today is synthetic due to the ease of manufacturing methods when processing crude oil. However, the growing demand for limited oil reserves is driving the need for newer plastics from renewable resources.
The process of creating synthetic plastic from crude oil is complex. Crude oil is extracted from underground reserves and transported to refineries, where it is heated and distilled to separate it into different petroleum products. One of the crucial compounds for plastic-making, naphtha, is derived from this process. The petroleum products are then converted into "monomers," which are the basic building blocks of polymers—the molecules that make up plastics.
The link between plastic production and oil demand was evident during the 1973 U.S. oil crisis. When an embargo by the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) caused oil in the U.S. to become scarce and expensive, plastic production slowed down due to a lack of raw materials. This demonstrates how fluctuations in oil supply and demand can directly impact the availability of raw materials for plastic production.
Looking ahead, the International Energy Agency predicts that plastics will make up nearly 50% of oil demand by the 2050s. This is a significant increase from previous estimates, which placed the portion of oil used for plastic production at around 4-6% globally, with higher estimates of up to 10% by some sources. The growing demand for plastic, driven by its cost and durability, will continue to drive oil demand. However, with the world's crude oil supply expected to meet demands only through mid-century, the future of plastic production may need to increasingly turn to renewable sources.
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Crude oil is extracted from underground reserves
Crude oil is a fossil fuel made from animal and plant matter that has endured heat and pressure underground for millions of years. Petroleum, or crude oil, is extracted from underground reserves across the world using drills and pumps. The countries with the largest crude oil reserves, as of 2023, include Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.
The search for crude oil begins with geologists who study the structure and history of rock layers below the earth's surface to locate areas that may contain deposits of oil and natural gas. Geologists often use seismic surveys on land and in the ocean to find the right places to drill wells. Seismic surveys on land use echoes from a vibration source at the surface of the earth, usually a vibrating pad under a special type of truck. Geologists can also use small amounts of explosives as a vibration source. Seismic surveys conducted in the ocean rely on blasts of sound that create sonic waves to explore the geology beneath the ocean floor. If a site seems promising, an exploratory well is drilled and tested. If enough oil is found to make it financially worthwhile to pursue, development wells are drilled.
The type of well that is drilled depends on the location, geology, and oil resource. In the past, a drilling rig drilled a single vertical well. Now, many directional or horizontal wells can be drilled from one location, or well pad, to access greater areas of oil- and natural gas-bearing rock. Oil may flow to the earth's surface from natural pressure in the rock formation, or it may have to be forced out of the ground and up through a well. The type of geologic formation where the oil is located determines the technologies used to start the flow of oil and natural gas from the reservoir or resource-bearing rock into the wells.
After the oil has been collected from wells in a production field, pipelines, barges, trains, or trucks transport the oil to refineries or to ports for shipment on oil tankers to other countries. Production of crude oil and natural gas is sometimes called conventional production or unconventional production. Conventional production generally means that crude oil and natural gas flow to and up a well under the natural pressure of the earth. Unconventional production requires techniques and technologies to increase or enable oil and natural gas production beyond what might occur using conventional production techniques.
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Crude oil is heated and distilled
Crude oil is a raw product drilled from the ground and made from animal and plant matter that has endured heat and pressure underground for millions of years. It is a mixture of hydrocarbons that can be separated through fractional distillation.
Fractional distillation is a process that separates a mixture of two or more fluids of different densities by heating the mixture to the point of boiling. In the context of crude oil, the oil is heated and put into a distillation tower or fractionating column, where different products boil off and are recovered at different temperatures. The lightest products, such as butane and other liquid petroleum gases (LPG), are recovered at the lowest temperatures, while the heaviest products, such as residual fuel oil, are recovered at temperatures sometimes exceeding 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The separated fluids are the 'distillates'.
The distillates produced through fractional distillation include various petroleum products that we rely on in our daily lives, such as petrol or gasoline, diesel fuels, kerosene, jet fuel, and domestic and commercial heating oil. About 60% of crude oil is refined into petrol, which is a light product formed at temperatures between 25°C and 60°C.
One of the distillates obtained from crude oil is naphtha, which is used as a feedstock for petrochemical crackers that produce the basic building blocks for making plastics. While the exact amount of crude oil used for plastic production is challenging to determine, it is estimated that plastics account for about 4-6% of global oil production. The International Energy Agency expects this proportion to increase significantly, predicting that plastics will make up almost half of oil demand by the 2050s.
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Naphtha is a crucial compound for plastic-making
The production of plastics involves the distillation of crude oil in an oil refinery. This process separates the heavy crude oil into groups of lighter components, called fractions. Each fraction is a mixture of hydrocarbon chains, which differ in terms of the size and structure of their molecules.
Naphtha is one of these fractions and is a crucial compound for making plastic. It is a mixture of C5 to C10 hydrocarbons obtained from the distillation of crude oil. Naphtha is a volatile liquid hydrocarbon, and there are different types of naphtha. It is thermally decomposed at high temperatures of around 800°C in a steam cracker in the presence of water vapour. This process breaks down the naphtha into light hydrocarbons known as major intermediaries, which are olefins and aromatics.
The olefins include ethylene (C2), propylene (C3), and butane and butadiene (C4). The aromatics consist of benzene, toluene, and xylene. These small molecules are linked together to form long molecular chains called polymers. These polymers are the basic building blocks of plastics.
The petrochemical industry uses naphtha as a feedstock for petrochemical crackers, which produce the fundamental building blocks for plastics. While naphtha is a crucial compound in plastic production, it is important to note that the petrochemical industry also consumes large quantities of hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGLs). These HGLs are by-products of natural gas processing and crude oil/petroleum refineries.
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Plastic is a byproduct of the refining process
Plastic is a product of the refining of crude oil. Crude oil is a thick, black sludge made up of hydrocarbons, which are compounds made from combinations of carbon and hydrogen atoms. These hydrocarbons are the raw materials of plastic. Crude oil is extracted from underground reserves across the world using drills and pumps. The countries with the largest crude oil reserves, as of 2023, include Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.
Once the crude oil is extracted, it is transported to refineries through pipelines. At the refinery, the oil is heated to 600-750 degrees Fahrenheit and distilled. This process separates the hydrocarbons into different groups based on the number of atoms they contain and their resulting molecular weight. One of these groups, called naphtha, is a crucial compound used to make a large amount of plastic. Other compounds used in the production of plastics include ethylene, propylene, and butylene.
The refining process for plastics is different from the refining process for fuels. In the process of refining crude oil into fuel, the majority of the barrel would be left unused or stored if it were being used to make plastics. This is because the process of refining to make plastics requires separating the crude oil by weight, which results in a different set of byproducts than the refining process for fuels.
The use of crude oil in the production of plastics is a significant contributor to the oil industry. The International Energy Agency expects plastics to make up almost half of oil demand by the 2050s. However, it is important to note that not all plastics are made from crude oil. Some plastics, known as bio-based or bioplastics, are derived from renewable sources such as carbohydrates, starch, vegetable fats and oils, and bacteria.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, crude oil is an input of plastic. Crude oil is extracted from underground reserves and undergoes a refining process to be transformed into different petroleum products. These products are then converted into the chemicals used to create plastic.
Synthetic plastics are made from crude oil, natural gas, or coal. Bio-based plastics, on the other hand, are derived from renewable products such as carbohydrates, starch, vegetable fats, and oils.
It is difficult to determine the exact amount of oil used to make plastic. In 2012, plastics accounted for about 4% of global oil production, and this figure may have risen to 5%-6% in 2019. The International Energy Agency expects this number to increase significantly, with plastics potentially making up almost half of oil demand by the 2050s.
